2017-04-02

Millenials and gadgets

The millennials is a generation who thrive on fast and staple food that evokes admiration for they have an immense quality to swiftly adapt to life or relationships and at the same time, finding success in whatever they do. Today's youth is less about emotions what makes things happen for them, be it love, sex or gadgets. Nothing wrong with that! As it is, relationships are all about the vibes.

A random reader would be wondering what's the fuss this post is all about. It just struck me the other day in the bus when a school girl-she must be in her 16-sat next to me and was toggling with her smartphone. I didn't even know what a simple phone was at her age. Forget about the smartphone. In the flick of seconds, the kid removed a second gadget where she was chatting on both. A phone is all about functionality for someone her age. It got me thinking what one does with two branded smartphones?

Image credit: Google

A sense of gratification embedded in the material world makes the millennial generation 'wrongly' believe that it's the end of it or this is what life is all about. It's the same mentality that generates corruption among the youth, leading them to believe that it's my way or the highway to acquire such possessions and several others. Of course, I am not blaming the young. It waters down to the parents who hide the fact that they cannot give time to their kids and throw-away such material gadgets towards them. The children are happy to emulate their friends and it makes parents much happier to get rid of 'good parenting' or showing care and affection. Isn't it sad?

Gadget was invented to facilitate our lives but over time, it has done more evil than good, controlling our thoughts, making us lose time when we could usher in doing something more concrete and productive. Studies have also shown that over the top use of mobile phones or tablets can lead to depression among the youth. That's not the point I want to make. It often goes beyond my understanding what 16 or 18-something do with two smartphones and what sense of gratification it gives to them. The sensation of being well off or any means is good enough to grab a gadget is the mother of all vices where they are often at the receiving end of predators through social media channels such as Facebook.

The main thing also applies to grown up adults where we often don't realize how we have become the prisoners of gadgets. Gadgets should be used to connect with our loved and dear ones, read and work to beat traffic snarls or waiting time, for instance. It's not about social gratification or showing off to the world where we tend to tread dangerously often at the cost of our health or mental sanity.

We need to think about how we have become self-made prisoners of gadgets and it's not a problem that only the millennials face but all of us. Does it buy us happiness? I am afraid not, but gadgets are a temporary substitute which will make us pay a heavy price in the future, be it in our personal growth or relationships.